Regarding the government's support or perceived lack thereof:
I cannot speak for the entire military. However, in the US sniper's cases it kind of goes like this.
The snipers are specially trained and should be specially equipped and indeed, some units are exactly that. The school trained snipers that have actually graduated sniper school and that have been snipers a good while often buy their own gear OUT OF CHOICE or are VERY WELL equipped by their units. This is especially true with the special ops guys.
However, what we have found is that the US military is using snipers in numbers not seen since the Vietnam conflict. Iraq and Afghanistan are ideal locations for sniper deployement. However, this fact has been forgotten after every war since the American Revolution. When war breaks out, we then find that we are behind the curve and are then scrambling to train up enough qualified marksmen because all of a sudden we now need people that know how to shoot. Plus, the emphasis on marksmanship training has been steadily decreasing in the US military, whereas it used to be a priority. This, I believe is due to too much reliance on smart bombs and technology.
That said, a sniper is pretty much the smart bomb of the infantry, firing one shot and obtaining one kill with no collateral damage to innocents. We simply cannot rely on the air force to do everything at all times.
Furthermore, the sniper schools have a high attrition rate because only the best of the best can make it through. Only the coolest thinking, smartest, strongest, fastest, non quitters in the military can stand up to the stress and discipline required to become a sniper. Likewise, only the best policemen make decent snipers in law enforcement. To lower the standards would cost lives and the sniper schools run a very high operational tempo program. This is because the snipers may have to shoot right beside or over their friends heads to stop a threat and the soldiers and marines must have explicit trust in the sniper's abilities to do this. In additon the snipers are often operating in two to four man teams and must be as totally self sufficient as possible, often times behind enemy lines.
Our soldiers and marines are currently not in a static battle, in the middle of nowhere, with a clearly defined enemy and desolate surroundings for a backstop. They are fighting an enemy dressed as the rest of the populace, that uses women and children as shields, who are often on the move, within the civilian population of huge urban environments. Their shooting has to be surgical in nature and there can be no collateral injury of innocents as a result. This is the same type of environment that the police sniper in the US and UK lives in everyday. They simply cannot miss because to do so means that the wrong person dies or their friends are killed.
That said ... most of snipers are issued body armor and helmets. But it is just too cumbersome to wear and shoot with to the degree of precision demanded of the sniper. However, the sniper's Commanding officers have often times never been to sniper school themselves and do not Understand what it takes to do the job of the sniper. A sniper is just one of many troops the CO must look after and he may view the snipers as not any different than any of his other troops when they really do have specific equipment needs. The COs often misuse the snipers because they either do not know or care about the capabilities their snipers can provide them.
In the sniper's cases, it is not that the snipers need body armor per sey as they are issued it. But rather that the snipers need different CARRIERS (specific clothing that holds the ballistic panels) than the regular troops. This is so they can shoot on the move and in cramped shooting positions. The issue helmet hurts one's neck in the prone position and is also cumbersome. If the snipers use the standard armor, they either have to take it off or try and shoot with it on.
If they take it off, their vital organs are exposed to enemy fire and then they must quickly don the armor or try and carry it with them if they have to quickly change locations. If they try and shoot with it on, it adversely affects their shot placement and we have already established the ramifications of that.
Furthermore, the armored divisons and Stryker brigades are also seeing the value of having snipers with the convoys as they can engage the enemy with one shot and end the threat. However, here again, the COs know TANKS and vehicles and NOT snipers ... and often the budget is spent on the vehicles and not on the needs of six or eight snipers. These are the voids that adoptasniper tries to fill.
Every soldier or marine that shot "Expert" on the range is now being assigned as the "Company sniper" although he probably has not had a chance to go to sniper school. He has a rifle but often times no scope or training to go with it. When he trys to get these things from his supply officer, his unit probably has not ever been issued this type of special gear and getting approved is a mountain of beurocratic red tape. If the soldier or marine's request gets shut down by his CO or supply then he cannot usurp the chain of command or suffer disciplinary action for doing so.
Adoptasniper works because we are not in anyone's chain of command. We know exactly what the snipers need when they ask for it. We know where to get it cheapest and we have the same address for these guys that their momma has. All of this because we are snipers ourselves. The items go from AAS shipping sites to the snipers tents in 2.5 weeks. Done deal. No red tape, no disciplinary action, no charge. Just that simple ...
Furthermore, when units deploy overseas; they are allotted funds that they do not receive here in the States. Many supply personnel either do not know this or the funds are spread elsewhere.
In my own very limited experience, it seems that the problems lie more with the individual unit commanders and supply officers either not understanding or caring what their snipers need; moreso than the fact that the government is not providing the funds to adequately supply the armed forces.
This is not a political forum. However, it seems to me that the cutbacks in military spending from the previous administration seem to have affected our military far more than anything the current administration may have done or has failed to do in that regard.
I hope this clears some of the common misconceptions up. I believe our program is working and I believe we are making a difference.
Regards,
Brian K. Sain
www.adoptasniper.org
